Customs and Border Protection this week published its acquisition strategy to continue buying fixed and relocatable sensor tower systems for border security, with a notional plan for a request for proposals (RFP) in March 2020 leading to an award or awards by March 2021.

The Tower, Power, Instrumentation, and Communications (TPIC) system will include the Integrated Fixed Tower (IFT) surveillance system and the Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS), which remain as separate programs of record, as well as the backup power, related sensors and communications systems, and local security for the towers, according to a CBP notice in the Sept. 10 government procurement opportunities website. The planned contract or contracts will be indefinite-delivery, indefinite quantity.

“The TPIC is the terminology used by IFT and RVSS for our contractual approach toward the procurement and deployment of sensor towers that support IFT and RVSS programs,” a CBP spokesman told Defense Daily on Sept. 12. “As currently envisioned, this would be a common use contract for both programs.”

Elbit Systems of America, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Israel’s Elbit Systems [ESLT], is the current prime contractor for IFT and General Dynamics [GD] is the prime for RVSS. The TPIC effort will allow an opportunity for additional contractors to compete for the sensor tower programs.

Elbit is nearly done with its contract to deploy IFT systems, which consist of day and night cameras, radar, and related communications systems that feed back to a Border Patrol station for command and control. These systems are deployed in five areas of Arizona along the border with Mexico, typically in sparsely populated environments.

The RVSS systems consist of day and night cameras, related communications that also feedback to local Border Patrol stations, and analytics to detect, track, identify items of interest in real time. The RVSS systems include fixed systems in five areas of Arizona and relocatable units in two areas of Texas. The program achieved full operating capability in 2017.

Command and control center equipment, including operator workstations, a common operating picture software, will be acquired separately by CBP, the Request for Information said. The agency said it will acquire these capabilities through another government provider, a government-wide contracting vehicle, or through a solicitation on the federal procurement website.

CBP is considering four courses of action for its TPIC acquisition strategy. One is a five-year contract with delivery orders for a Border Patrol Sector area of responsibility, giving the agency flexibility to add work as needed and as funding becomes available.

Another option is similar to the first, but the work would be competed in a sector every two to three years to contain costs and potentially introduce new technology. This option still includes a five-year base contract and five-year option to at least one contractor.

A third option would entail two work tracks, one for a tower solutions provider or providers and a second for a communications integrator. The tower solutions would include the tower, power and sensors. In this scenario, there would be one tower solution provider and one communications integrator for a sector and work each additional sector would be competed between the separate vendor pools.

Under the fourth option, which would be similar to the second, the work for the various systems and subsystems would be competed using a mix of acquisition capabilities, including existing DHS strategic sourcing contracts, government-wide contracting vehicles, federal supply schedules, or open competitions. The ID/IQ contract would be awarded in three functional areas: system integration and communications; tower systems and related power and security; and sensors. Work for each new Border Patrol sector would also be competed among the ID/IQ contract holders.

Under the notional acquisition schedule, bids would be due in May 2020.